Objectives
• Develop common language to talk about writing• Explain why a content teacher would choose to
incorporate writing• Gain a very basic understanding of Common Core
writing demands• Gain a repertoire of potential writing tasks
What is this?
• Describe a moment when you felt you could do anything.
• Writing fiction or non-fiction stories and/or personal essays.
• Narrative
What is this?
• A student shares a blog post she created.• Writing ‘owned’ by the student• Self-generated
What is this?
• Should the United States have dropped the atomic bomb? Cite specific historical evidence to support your assertion.
• Take a position and support it with strong external evidence to create a logical argument.
• Argumentative
What is this?
• Explain the process to solve a quadratic equation.
• Writing to demonstrate mastery of information.
• Informative/Explanatory
What is this?
• How did Atticus Finch’s character evolve over the course of the novel?
• A response to a text• Response to literature
What is this?
• As water boils, the arrangement and behavior of the water molecules undergo changes. Describe at least two of these changes.
• “A written response to a question.”• Constructed Response
What is this?
• Should guns be permitted in school?• Writing to convince a reader with evidence,
emotional and personal appeal. • Persuasive Writing
Persuasive vs. ArgumentativeBoth – convince the reader; require the writer to support the claim with facts/evidence
Persuasive Writing:• Includes anecdotal information and emotional appealArgumentative Writing:• Evidence grounded in logic• Attends to well-developed claims and counter-claims• Expects concrete and measurable evidence
http://www.hmheducation.com/commoncore/argumentative-writing.php
When and how are students writing in your class?
Why Writing?
Writing is Thinking
Writing Supports Reading
Writing Enhances Content Learning
• “Learning to Improve: Using Writing to Increase Critical Thinking Performance in General Education Biology”
• “Writing in a Reformed Differential Equations Class”
• “Statistical Evidence for Enhanced Learning of Content through Reflective Journal Writing”
In all fairness . . .
• http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/11/writers-should-learn-math.html
Your turn. Why write?
Writing and the Common Core
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHWMfg_8r0&list=UUF0pa3nE3aZAfBMT8pqM5PA&index=12
Major Shifts
• Disciplinary Knowledge– “Rather than referring to the text, they are
expected to learn from what they read.”• Text-Based Answers– Responses must be grounded in the text.
• Writing from Sources– Written arguments grounded in texts.
• Academic Languagehttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E0ACF04B-368B-4B3B-A4AE-232819F08594/0/commoncoreshiftsFINAL6712.pdf
Your Task
• Magnet Summary of Literacy Standards
• For each section select and write down 3-5 key words.
• Connect the most important details to the key words.
• Write a 2-3 sentence summary for each section.
PCC Chart
Pros Cons Caveats
In teams, discuss how you see these new writing standards playing out in your content area.
High-Mileage, Low-Maintenance Writing Tasks
Your Ideas
Collaborative Conversations
What would you like to see happen in terms of writing in your content areas?
Product: A concrete goal and three specific ways you could include writing in your content area.
What do you need to achieve your goal?
“Writing is writing what you cannot know before you have written it.”
Helene Cixous
Image Sources
• Fire - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1335322• Snowflake - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fleur_de_givre_L.jpg• Body Builder - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-12824.jpg• Puppy - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parson_Russell_Terrier_Puppy_3_Months_Old.jpg• Carly Rae Jepsen - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carly_Rae_Jepsen_at_BSOMF.jpg• Produce - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fruits_veggies.png• Bullseye - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harrows_Bristle_Board_Bullseye.JPG• Students - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Senior_classroom_cropped.jpg• Luke learns a lesson -
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/07/teachingposter.jpg• Father Guido -
http://www.writeonnewjersey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Don-Novello-as-Father-Guido-Sarducci.jpg
• Boy reading - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lewis_Hine,_Boy_studying,_ca._1924.jpg• Mathematician - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/
Magister_Mathematicae.jpg• Magnet - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-1_horseshoe-magnet-red-silver-iron-filings-
AHD.jpg• Motorcycle - http://wakpaper.com/large/Kawasaki_wallpapers_413.jpg• Treasure Chest - http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1024913